Chapter 609: Above the Mysterious Yellow Sea

"Black Pot must have thirty thousand sworn brothers in the heavenly soldier camps."

Chen Shi glanced at Black Pot, confirming that the Western Ox New Continent indeed had an external Dao, and that it had been lurking by his side for a very long time. "If Black Pot gives the order, the heavenly soldier camps will probably rebel against the Celestial Court immediately and hang King Li."

The fairy maiden drew the topographic map, then carefully and patiently marked each location along the route.

Chen Shi thanked her repeatedly. The fairy maiden had skin as white as snow, a lovely face, and a sweet smile, but she seemed rather impatient with him. "You're too cold and aloof, ignoring people who try to talk to you. I'm only helping because of the Black Immortal. I'll be going now. Fellow Daoist Black, let's have a drink another day."

Black Pot saw her off.

Chen Shi quietly put away the topographic map and went next door to look for Jiang Guo. Jiang Guo was still not there. He was probably out absorbing the spiritual energy of the fairy mountains to cultivate. He would only return if the heavenly soldier camps had a mission or when the monthly pay was distributed.

But the monthly pay had just been given out, and the Fire Battalion had no missions, so Jiang Guo wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.

Chen Shi wrote a letter and slipped it through the crack of Jiang Guo's door at the Celestial Way Residence before leaving.

Before long, Chen Shi and Black Pot arrived at the Heavenly River ferry crossing.

"Heavenly soldiers are not permitted to leave on their own; they must have a dispatch order from a superior officer," said the divine official guarding the crossing with a stern expression.

Chen Shi was about to go back and find Commander Wu Guanyun to request a dispatch order, when another divine official noticed them. His eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Is this Chen Shi, the heavenly soldier?"

Chen Shi stopped. "Indeed, this is Chen."

That divine official beamed from ear to ear. "So it really is Heavenly Soldier Chen. Others need dispatch orders, but Heavenly Soldier Chen doesn't. Someone, prepare a boat! Send Heavenly Soldier Chen aboard! Heavenly Soldier Chen, are you heading out with the Black Immortal?"

Chen Shi nodded, watching the approaching star raft, and said casually, "We may be out for a while, but not too long."

That divine official was over four zhang tall. He reached out and grabbed a corner of the star raft to steady it, laughing. "Staying out longer is no problem either. If you could leave and never return, that would be even better... What I mean is, the sea is wide and fish can leap freely. Since Heavenly Soldier Chen is an immortal, unbound and unrestrained, why suffer as a soldier in the camps? Hahaha, I'm certainly not suggesting you take the chance to run off!"

With that, he laughed heartily again.

Chen Shi and Black Pot boarded the star raft. The divine official, beaming with joy, waved them off with great enthusiasm, watching their star raft sail out through the star gate, picking up speed until it vanished into the starlight of the Heavenly River.

"Why did you let them leave?"

Another divine official was quite puzzled. "If heavenly soldiers can go out whenever they please, won't the camps fall into chaos? What if they run away and don't come back? What if they cause trouble out there? There are precedents for all of this!"

That divine official said, "This one is a little ancestor we can't afford to offend. The Heavenly King has also instructed that if Chen Shi wants to leave, we shouldn't keep him—let him go. If he doesn't want to desert the heavenly soldier camps, then we should tempt him to desert. Under no circumstances can we keep him in the camps! If something happens to him, none of us can bear the responsibility!"

He gazed toward the direction the star raft had departed and murmured, "I've never seen the Heavenly King so cautious and careful. It's like he's sending off the God of Plague, wishing he could get him out of here as fast as possible."

Chen Shi sat on the star raft and once again raised the Purple Heaven Immortal Gourd to collect Profound Heaven Extreme Radiance.

"I've taken two boat rides and refined four strands of sword qi. I'll need to go out a few more times to refine more sword qi."

Once the immortal gourd was full, Chen Shi immediately began cultivating the Primordial Chaos Sword Scripture, refining the fifth and sixth strands of sword qi.

By the time they disembarked, the fifth and sixth strands were already seven or eight parts complete.

Chen Shi stored the six strands of sword qi into the immortal gourd. From within the gourd came crisp sounds of the six strands colliding and clashing against one another—they were tempering each other.

He casually tossed the gourd. It swayed once and vanished from sight, sent into the Dao Ruins.

"Having a Dao Realm really is convenient." Chen Shi couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

The place they arrived at was called Fenyin Province, the place where heaven and earth separated yin and yang. The Records of Spirits and Prodigies states: "Before heaven and earth were divided, all was mixed into one. When the two principles were distinguished, yin and yang took their positions. Thus, the clear qi rose to become the yang heaven, and the turbid qi descended to become the yin earth."

It also says: "That which the world calls Houtu is the yellow earth formed at the first division of heaven and earth, and so it is called the Mother of Earth."

Fenyin Province was thus named, and it was the dwelling place of Houtu Huangdiqi.

Chen Shi stepped off the star raft, walking through the ferry crossing with Black Pot, one behind the other.

This Heavenly River ferry crossing was built on a mountain range in Fenyin Province called Tai'e Mountain. The terrain was extremely high. As Chen Shi walked out of the crossing, a vast and boundless sea appeared before him. Countless yellow waves surged and rolled, and when struck by the sunlight, they gleamed brilliantly gold, casting a golden glow on everyone's faces.

Within the sea were fairy mountains and immortal isles of all sizes, lush and verdant, radiating vibrant life.

The fairy mountains and immortal isles were even moving, emerging and disappearing among the yellow mist. Beneath the mountains and isles were enormous turtles with dragon heads, swimming through the sea.

Between the mountains and isles, immortal vessels shuttled back and forth, flying banners.

And at the point where sea and sky met was a clear, translucent cyan profound qi—deep and azure, like the vast emptiness of space, but a thousand times deeper. It seemed that even mortals could roam this deep void, as if they had grown wings.

This was the place where heaven and earth intersected above the Mysterious Yellow Sea.

"So magnificent!"

Chen Shi's heart soared with joy, and he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Fenyin Province referred to those fairy mountains and immortal isles within the sea—countless islands forming the province.

"Without the topographic map, finding the Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace would be extremely difficult." Chen Shi sighed.

Right next to the ferry crossing was Tai'e County. Although it bore the word "county," its territory was extremely vast. The Tai'e Mountain Range stretched ten thousand li, bearing an extraordinary air. Tai'e County was the only piece of dry land in Fenyin Province; all other territories lay within the sea.

Many immortals lived here, dwelling in the Tai'e Mountain Range. Some also lived in seclusion within the bustling cities, one with the surrounding radiance and dust, tempering their Dao Hearts.

As Chen Shi and Black Pot passed through Taihe County, they sensed many powerful and extraordinary immortal auras.

They left Tai'e County and headed toward the Mysterious Yellow Sea. At that moment, several people noticed their backs. They hurried toward the county office's Immortal Slaying List, each revealing delighted surprise on their faces, then quickly followed after them.

Many others were also heading to the Mysterious Yellow Sea. Carriages and horses streamed endlessly along the road—some were merchants going to do business in Fenyin Province, others were visiting immortals on the fairy mountains in the sea, seeking to study under them.

Chen Shi noticed that from time to time, gazes fell upon him. His heart stirred slightly, and he signaled Black Pot to be careful.

Black Pot turned around to look in all directions. It was about to influence others' perceptions when a pair of sharp, fierce eyes swept over, causing its mind to shake violently and its head to buzz. It found it difficult to use its abilities.

Its heart clenched in alarm, and it immediately knew this place was filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Even among the immortals traveling on the road, there were extremely powerful existences. It dared not act recklessly.

Before long, they arrived at the edge of the Mysterious Yellow Sea. Here there was a town called Denghai Town, the last dock before entering the sea.

Immortal vessels heading to the various immortal isles and fairy mountains of the Mysterious Yellow Sea would depart from here.

Chen Shi heard someone nearby laugh and say, "The so-called 'Deng Hai' means that on this Mysterious Yellow Sea, even mortals can walk on the surface without sinking. They can tread upon the sea itself."

His heart stirred. He set his foot upon the surface of the Mysterious Yellow Sea, stepping on the rolling yellow mist that churned like waves. The ground beneath his feet felt somewhat soft, like treading on loose spring soil, but his body did not sink. A gentle force buoyed him up, making it feel quite comfortable.

"The Mysterious Yellow Sea is truly wondrous!"

His playful spirit arose, and rather than taking a boat into the sea, he and Black Pot walked freely, traveling on foot toward the Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace.

"The Mysterious Yellow Sea here is very different from the one I saw before."

Chen Shi looked around. When he had stolen the mulberry tree, he had also been to the Mysterious Yellow Sea, but the sea surface there was different from here.

"Could it be because we're too close to the Dark Sea? Has the external Dao of the Dark Sea affected the mysterious yellow Great Dao of this sea?"

After walking for quite a while, Chen Shi and Black Pot finally understood why everyone else took boats and very few walked.

The yellow mist in this Mysterious Yellow Sea was extremely heavy. It clung to their feet and hung from their clothes, and with every step, it felt like they were carrying Mount Tai on their backs.

Even though Chen Shi and Black Pot possessed great divine abilities, the yellow mist pressed down on them, making them feel heavier and heavier.

"We can fly over from above!"

Chen Shi's heart stirred. He lifted his foot and stepped into the air.

He had only taken a single small step, but suddenly he found himself what must have been hundreds of li away from the sea surface. Moreover, as he flew, the distance between him and the sea seemed to grow ever greater.

Chen Shi and Black Pot controlled their direction, staring at the sea below, and struggled to fly forward. Yet they discovered that after flying tens of thousands of li, the scene of the sea surface hadn't changed at all.

After flying for so long, it was as if they hadn't moved an inch.

Chen Shi and Black Pot didn't dare try again. Each of them landed back on the sea surface and continued walking forward.

Fortunately, they discovered that there were quite a few others who had made the same foolish mistake as them. These immortals had also intended to rely on their own leg power to enter the Mysterious Yellow Sea, and they too had suffered for it.

"How embarrassing."

Chen Shi thought to himself, "When we encounter a passing ship, no matter how much it costs, we must board it."

Just then, several more immortals walked over, panting heavily. One of them complained, "Those two blockheads had a boat to take but insisted on walking, dragging us along to walk with them! Now look—we haven't even met anyone yet, and we can barely take another step."

At that moment, someone nudged the complaining speaker. When the speaker saw Chen Shi and Black Pot, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly shut his mouth.

Chen Shi looked at those few people but said nothing.

They also said nothing. Everyone walked forward across the sea surface in silence.

Chen Shi exchanged a glance with Black Pot, neither speaking.

Chen Shi made a grasping motion in the air and pulled out a Purple-Gold Crown. He bound up his hair, placed the crown upon his head, and inserted a pearl hairpin.

A black iron rod had somehow appeared in Black Pot's hand, and it idly swatted at the sea surface.

The immortals behind them also said nothing. One took out a folding fan and fanned his neck, tiny purple lightning dancing between the fan's ribs. Another smiled and summoned a white mink, which coiled around his neck.

Another produced a pair of golden scissors and clipped his nails. Yet another brought out a jade flute and played a melodious, lilting tune, complete with several trills and flourishes.

Chen Shi wore a smile. Within his demonic well, beneath the blood tree, the Tianluo Blood-Transforming Divine Blade hummed and vibrated incessantly, ready to fly out at any moment.

The others all wore smiles as well, pairs of eyes shifting toward Chen Shi and Black Pot.

Someone laughed in a low voice. "The scenery here is quite fine, perfect for bur—"

Just then, a ship sailed over. A head poked out from the deck—a bright-eyed, white-toothed young girl. She laughed and said, "You all must be tired from walking, right? Would you like to come aboard?"

She excitedly stretched out both hands, spreading all ten fingers. "The price is ten times over!"

"Young miss, you're quite the profiteer."

Chen Shi smiled slightly. Suddenly, with a single step, he appeared on the deck, laughing. "But since we're out at sea, we have no choice but to board."